A Complicated Friendship
by purplehedgie
Summary: Robin was proud to be the youngest crimefighter in Gotham. That is, until she came along. He didn't mind the competition, or so he told himself. A hero's life is never easy... Dick Grayson Robin, maybe Robin/oc
1. Lone Birdy

'Sup, everybody? This is my first multi-chapter story, so it's not the best in the world. But I still love it all the same! Please be aware that this is rated _**T**_ for language, situations, and some possible sexuality/perversion. But if you're 13+ like you should be, it's nothing you wouldn't have seen, heard, or experienced before._  
_

Enjoy!

* * *

"Robin, have you located the runaway gunmen?"

Said bird breathed in the cool night air. Such a refreshing night! Despite the towering, gloomy buildings reaching up to touch the sooty sky, and the blinding lights common for every city, the stars shone blazingly down at him. Of course, he _was_ perching on one of said buildings, giving him the avid vantage point any crimestopper would love to have.

"Working on it. Two of the few of Joker's goonies smart enough to attempt to blend in, not that they'll escape either way. I'll have them down before they can say 'whelmed'."

The teen could practically _hear_ Batman slapping himself mentally. Not that he minded, it was always fun to agitate the man.

"Robin, do _not_ rush into preemptive conflict like you did last time. I was forced to abandon a highly critical stakeout just to carry you home. Do you not remember?"

How could he not? Chasing a purse snatcher was number two on his _"Top Ten Most Boring and Common Crimes"_ list, albeit uncommon for a lowly thief to have enough intelligence to plan.

Robin groaned in displeasure. "Why'd you have to bring _that_ up? I thought I had knocked the guy out. And he had backup! I'll be perfectly fine; it's just two guys, right?

"...Correct. Fine. But if you are knocked unconscious again you'll be cleaning the Batmobile for a week."

He cringed. "Yeah. A week. Got it. Call ya later." Pressing the _end call_ button on his communicator, he let out a gust of breath.

_A week of cleaning the Batmobile? Either he's gone mad with power or he's serious about the unconsciousness thing._

It didn't to him matter either way. He _so_ was not cleaning that overgrown tank.

Sitting on the roof edge of some business office or another, he pulled up his holographic computer on his left arm. Hacking into security cameras across the city was definitely a bonus from working with the Dark Knight. But then again, he doubted that whoever set them up actually was worried of them being hacked in the first place.

_Let's see, two guys in purple sweaters carrying money sacks...I wonder where I would find them. Not on Richmond, too many cops to worry about...Definitely not 6th and Branou, that's Scarecrow territory..._

His fingers flew across the transparent keyboard, typing in serial numbers of specific cameras or streets to find his prey. They couldn't have made it too far from the terrorized banks, not with at least fifty pounds of currency over their shoulders. They'd need a quiet street, away from snitching eyes and fingers...Of course!

As fast as his fingers would let him, he typed in the serial number _SJ-4719_. Sure enough, two grimy looking men in matching purple sweaters appeared on the edge of his screen. They seemed to be arguing over where they were supposed to go.

_Devonui always go for Devonui Street. Shoulda thought of it sooner._

Devonui Street was the stereotypical crime haven. Dingy private businesses, gangs of all shapes and sizes, and the lead manufacturer of illegal drugs within a hundred-mile radius. Believe it or not, Robin "visited" at least once a week.

Shutting off the small electronic, the Boy Wonder pushed himself onto his feet, stretching his arms out until he heard a small _pop_ in his joints. Stifling a growing yawn, he backed a few feet from the ledge before taking a running leap off the building. As he fell, he flipped and dived past story after story of skyscraper. Almost lazily, he pulled out his grappling gun and shot it at the next closest building, a mere two stories from becoming the the new fluorescent road paint.

Swinging from building to building, Robin relished the wind flying through his dark hair. Flying above the car-covered streets always made him wonder what people thought when they saw him, defying gravity as he zoomed over busy intersections and crowds of citizens. He'd be lying if he said he didn't pity them a bit.

He, like any person, had to do things that could be considered unenjoyable to a thirteen year-old. Attending a school for rich snobs, going to parties for rich snobs, getting his face pinched by rich snobs. Oh God, the _face pinching_. Just the thought of one of Bruce's dates walking up to him in their too-revealing dresses and manicured nails to squeeze his abused face brought shivers to him. He swore they sharpened their nails before every party just to torment him.

But after all the abuse, all of the torment he had to suffer for being the ward of a billionaire, he was _free_. He could take off those horrible, itchy suits he was made to wear, conceal his true identity, and wear the outfit that felt like a second skin to him. That was when he became the Boy Wonder. Protégé of the Dark Knight.

_Robin._

"D'ya know who's after us, Jerry! The freakin' Batman, that's who! We're gonna die, man! We're dead! I dun' wanna die!"

"Shut yer damn trap already, will ya? Ya know jus' as well as I do that Bats ain't killed no one, so why should 'e start wit' us? The only guy ya gotta be worried 'bout is da boss. We lost Bats, his sidekick's nowhere ta be seen, we'll jus' go forward 'til we find the hideout. Then we take our cut, put on some normal-ass clothes, and scram. Got it?"

Well, he had found his culprits. Funny how they were trying to hide, yet practically yelling at one another. squatting on the ledge of a short building, he listened to see where the conversation was heading. If he could find the location of one of the Joker's secret bases, maybe Bruce would stop acting like such a stick-in-the-butt for a day or two.

"'Til we find the hideout? Ya mean ya don't know where it is! Oh, God. Oh, Lordy Lordy. We're done for, we're done..."

So much for that tactic. The Boy Wonder should've known it wouldn't have been that easy, especially considering how fast he had found these two. That didn't mean he couldn't have some fun with these bozos.

Just as the other man was going to snap at his nervous partner, an eerie cackle resounded through the alley. The oddly-dressed men spun on their heels for the source. A movement on their right-no left!

The annoyed one dropped one of the huge sacks in favor of the handgun securely placed in his waistband. "Boss? Dat you? I know ye're all for a good joke an' all, but this ain't funny! C'mon out where we can see ya!"

His reply was was a small object whizzing just inches from his head. He turned to grab what would oviously be a playing card with a joker on it, then froze. It was no card.

It was a batarang.

The more obviously inept of the two had begun to tremble in his, what could only be described as tacky, outfit. He dropped the two bags he was carrying to turn tail and flee, the other quickly following suit.

_Huh. I guess there _is_ such a thing as a somewhat intelligent Joker goonie. Who knew?_

Hastily checking the rucksacks to be sure they weren't decoys, Robin pinpointed his location onto his intercom and sent it to Batman. Then he went after them. For two such old guys (in reality, the were most likely only in their thirties), they sure were fast. But not faster than a young teen in top physical form; he had just given them a head start was all. He estimated they were about fifty feet ahead of him. Not bad, considering they weren't what could be speculated as "fit".

Without warning, one of them cried out in pain, making the hero pause.

_What the hell?_

A loud crash, like someone had knocked over several trashcans. Did Batman really get here that fast? He turned the corner just in time to watch the gun-wielder get knocked out with a fist in the face. As he slumped down unconscious next to his partner, who had indeed fallen into a pair of metal trashcans, the hero's eyes widened at the assailant.

They wore a long sleeve turtle neck that ended midriff, low-riding pants, knee high boots with more buckles than necessary, and elbow-length gloves. All of it being black, skin-tight, and most definitely made of pvc. A simple black domino mask concealed her identity.

_Okay. So not Batman. But considering her choice in style, probably not a hero either._

Robin tensed slightly, not enough to be visible, but ready to fight if he needed to. She looked to be his age, but he had more than enough experience to tell him that looks could be decieving. She ran a hand through her platinum blonde pixie-cut hair, like she was trying think of something. She smirked.

"You're Robin, right? Batdude's sidekick?"

* * *

Ooh, a new character has entered the battlefield! I wonder what'll happen next?

I tried to make her description as short and sweet as possible, knowing that a lot of people don't like reading them. Also, I try to make each character speak the way they would in the actual show, though I am aware that I won't get it right every time.

As for my OC, I'll try to make her as different from other OC stories as possible. It seems most of them mainly follow the OC's life in the first person, give her a depressing past/weird accident giving them special abilities, and make them kind of fangirly/ditzy/naive. This story will hopefully mainly follow Robin, but there will be OC-oriented scenes.

If you like it, please favorite, review, or watch. It lets me know I should continue the story. :)


	2. Babe's Name

Chapter 2! ^_^

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"You're Robin, right? Batdude's sidekick?"

He had just met her, and already she had him grinding his teeth together.

"Protégé. And it's Bat_man_, not dude. Can I ask what you're doing here?"

She cocked her brow in disbelief. "Same thing you're doing, bashin' skulls and taking names. What does it look like?"

Robin eyed the rucksack of money the gun-wielding goonie hadn't bothered to drop earlier, now thrown over this girl's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "It looks like you were waiting to jump someone that had their guard down and got lucky. I suggest dropping the bag now, and making this easier on everyone. Heck, I might even let you go _free_. Whattya say, we got a deal?"

She snorted, eyeing him indignantly. "You're kidding, right? I'm the one that beat these idiots to the ground, so I'm gonna be the one that returns the money. You got a problem with that?"

Lovely. Rule number one for criminals: Get caught redhanded, play innocent. He wasn't called the Boy Wonder because he was a rookie. He had to think. Hurting her wasn't an option. This girl probably had no idea what she was doing, hoping to find some poor soul to mug to pay off her parent's drug problem, or to buy food for the week. She _was_ pretty thin...

"Listen babe, you don't have to play innocent with me. I understand that this may seem like the only thing to do, but I guarantee that stealing isn't the answer. If _you_ were an innocent..."

Wait a minute. Was he - no, it couldn't be. It simply could not be possible. But it was. And it was _way_ passed messed up.

This kid was _lecturing _her.

And who the hell was he calling babe?

"...I promise there are other ways to-"

There was a word for people like him. Something that fit him perfectly.

"...I know money can be hard to find-"

Conceited? No, that wasn't it...

"...I'm sure a part time job will-"

A megalomaniac? Too harsh...

"...A life of crime is risky and-"

She smacked her fist into her palm. Of course!

"Obnoxious!"

Robin stopped midsentence, jaw dropping slightly in disbelief. "...What?"

The girl smiled victoriously. "You-" She pointed at him with the hand not carrying the huge bag, "-are obnoxious. Here I am trying to help, and all you can think of is how messed up I must be. Are you sure that you're a good guy?" 'Cause I'm pretty sure heroes are supposed to be-" Her eyes widened in realization. She should have seen it the second he opened his mouth! "...You want all of the credit, don't you? Ha! I guess you _are_ conceited after all! And here I thought the guys in spandex were 'fair and honest'. That's whatcha get for listening to an adult's opinion, I suppose."

The protégé clenched his fists. If this chick wanted a fight, she would get one. It would be easy to tease her to a boiling point, then he'd jab a pressure point and be done for the night. It would be easy, right? He crouched into a fighting position. If he were fast enough, conflict could be avoided altogether.

Unfortunately, she wasn't as ignorant as he thought. She immediately picked up on his change in posture and grinned. If he wasn't a hothead, she didn't know what was. He _really_ wanted to credit himself on defeating the bad guys, though he seemed unable to conceive the thought that _she was not one of them_. Dropping the money to the ground, she put both hands on her hips. If there was one thing hotheads hated, it was an air of smugness.

"You can't be serious. Fighting? This late at night? Why don't you just crawl back home to bed before mommy finds her dearest little boy missing? After all, you might get a boo-boo if you play too rough."

He smiled back at her. If he was one thing, it was a tease. "Look who's talking. How old are you, twelve? You might want to practice fighting for, oh I'd say...a decade before including yourself in the big-kid free-for-all. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to such a pretty face."

A hothead _and_ a flirt. This was getting better by the second! And she knew just how to get to him. Without taking her eyes off of him, she reached into the money bag and grabbed several hundred dollars worth of bills.

She waved them slowly in his face. "You want me, come and get me." Stuffing the paper into her glove, she spun around, jumped onto a trashbin, and bolted away on the roof. Even without turning she could hear him taking after her.

Robin growled under his breath. He shoulda seen it coming. _He should have seen it coming_. She was every bit as fast as she looked, nimbly darting from roof-to-roof and gaining more height with each one. In minutes, they had gone from one-story slums to full-fledged skyscapers. One misstep would spell certain death.

The Boy Wonder tried to keep as much distance as possible while still gaining on her. If she did something dumb and fell, it would forever be on his conscience. But there are only so many buildings in a city; so after what what seemed like two miles, she was cornered on Scupper and Associates Insurance Claims, the next tallest building being three stories lower.

"Great..."

She turned when she heard an odd laugh from behind. "Nowhere else to go, babe. Give up and I'll go easy on you."

She wasn't being sarcastic when she had said that. Actually, it was the exact opposite. She had him right where she wanted: out in the open,with nothing to hide behind. But seriously, _what the hell was up with the babe thing?_

"Babe? We haven't even been on our first date and already we're giving eachother pet names, _Roro_. Isn't that romantic?"

He sputtered in shock. Roro? _Roro!_ Where did she come up with that! Just as he opened his mouth to verbalize his confusion, pain exploded in his jaw. He looked up and was met with another fist, this time in his gut. He was being distracted and _he fell for it!_ Ugh, today was not his day...

Recovering from the blows, Robin swung out his fist in a right hook, just missing her chin when she dodged. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him forward to knee him, but he spun, flipping her in the process. Immediately, he realized that she knew what she was doing. She obviously had some amount of experience in martial arts, judging from her fighting style. The best thing to do was to tire her out, avoiding her blows until he could practically knock her over with a pinky. But thinking leads to distraction, and distraction is not something you want in battle.

Before he could process how to dodge, her foot had snapped into a front kick, landing on his chin and forcing him to stumble back. Taking advantage of this, the girl sweep kicked his feet out from under him. Rolling on the ground, the two slightly resembled brawling children. Because she had the upper hand, the girl got most of the punches in, that's not to say Robin didn't get his fair share. Just as he threw another punch at her, she grabbed his forearm and held it down. Then, she curled her other fist lightly and extended the first knuckle on her hand, quickly running it down the muscles just off center on his chest. Gasping in shock, his muscles involuntarily relaxed.

Grinning smugly, the girl bent over him and whispered in his ear, "By the way, the name's Blackbird."

Then, darkness.

* * *

Any names I use (i.e., Scupper and Associates Insurance Claims) are purely fictional. Any real street names, businesses, brands, etc. will not be used. If I happen _do_ happen to use a real name, it's completely incidental.

The move Blackbird does at the end is a pressure point. It's not dangerous or harmful, and only stuns an opponent for about half a second, so I saw no harm in putting it in the story.


	3. Sadism

Sucky filler is sucky. *_* I wrote this at like 10:30 at night though, so eh. Just a small chapter to let you know that the rest of the Young Justice team will be in the story. You also find out what happened to Robin after the ending of the last chapter.

* * *

"Duuuude, c'mon! You can trust me! Who beat the crud out of you the other day? Ooh, ooh, let me guess! Was it the Joker? No, it was Scarecrow, wasn't it? Wait, they would've done more damage. Could it have been..."

Why, God, why?

_Kill me. Pleeeease kill me. Why am I not dead yet?_

It was bad enough Batman had told the team what had happened. It was punishment enough that he had been left to his snickering peers. But having Wally follow him around and beg for details? Now it was just plain sadism.

And there was no way in _Hell_ was he going to say who had led him on a wild goose chase and knocked him flat out. Not in a million years. Not for world peace. _No way whatsoever._

"-I mean, what kind of criminal takes money, then gives it _back_? That doesn't even make sense! If I were you, I would've..."

Oh, yeah. You remember the money the girl had run off with? After she made sure he was out, she had taken the money out of it's hiding place and, get this, _put it in his hand._ Every single stolen penny was found and returned! As for the girl, gone without a trace! If that wasn't enough to make a detective rip his own head off, nothing would.

_Maybe I can zeta-beam over a cliff. That'd be a pretty sucky death, though._

"Dude, Robin? You listening? Helloooo..."

"What, Wally?"

The speedster threw his hands in the air. "You haven't heard a word I've said! Dude, _what happened_? I'm you're best bud! I won't tell, honest. Well, most likely."

The younger boy rolled his eyes behind his dark sunglasses. "For the last time, Wally. Two of Joker's goonies had run off with the money from the bank. I tailed them down and knocked them out. Someone else tried to make off with some of the cash and got in a lucky shot. Nothing too new or exciting, alright? Go back to arguing with Artemis or something, I'm trying to watch TV."

He didn't want to admit what had really happened, he had even told that story to Batman. The weirdest part was that he seemed to have believed him, the lack of being questioned whether he was hiding something being more than a little freaky to the bird.

"Whattya mean, 'argue with Artemis'? She started it! I was just minding my own business when she..."

Tuning out his friend's witless banter, Robin stood from the couch and sauntered to the kitchen. At least M'gann hadn't burnt the cookies today. Nibbling on the corner of one that looked oddly like a square, he thought back to what went down the other day. She knew how to fight, that much was obvious. She knew pressure points, which was more than a little odd. Seriously, what teen knew pressure points?

Right. He did.

Massaging his temple, the Boy Wonder groaned at the growing throb in his head. Over-thinking and Wally babbling _so_ did not mix. Just as he went to swat the ginger, who had thought it best to follow him and continue his awful monologue, the zeta beam announced a new arrival.

_**"Batman. 02"**_

Robin followed the speedster to where his mentor was standing, glancing at the clock as he walked past. That's when realization hit.

_Crap. I was supposed to be at the cave an hour ago._

"Robin, you were supposed to check in an hour ago. Trying to get out of your punishment isn't showing responsibility for your actions. I'm adding another three days."

He groaned. Now he had to clean _and_ wax the Batmobile for _eight _daysinstead of five. The boy's shoulders slumped, sulking to the transporter gloomily. Just as the flash enveloped him, a thought came to mind.

_Maybe I have to make a human sacrifice to Hades?_

* * *

__Remember Bat's threat in the first chapter? It came back to bite Robin in the ass. _

Before I go, here's an interesting read:

**_Symbolic Meaning of Blackbirds_**

_"Birds robed in black do not give up their secrets easily. They love to watch us marvel over their messages. Blackbirds demand our commitment to learning their wisdom, and do not reveal their meanings unless they are convinced we've devoted ourselves completely to the path of understanding (both dark and light sides of) energy."_

_"Blackbirds and birds of black or dark colors are special among their airy clan as they are the symbolic of:_

_-Mystery -Magic -Secrets -The Unknown -Pure Potential -Non-obvious Perception"_

I wonder what this has to do with the story?

**I don't own the excerpt about blackbirds, or Young Justice.**


	4. During the Darkness

I was gonna update sooner, but I went brain dead for a few days. As in, I couldn't write a single word. I'm still kind of in a funk, so sorry if this isn't your fave chapter.

Oh, and did anyone hear about the shooting at the new Batman movie? It was at the same theater my dad and brother went to see Ice Age at earlier that day. Kinda freaky, ve~?

* * *

Blackbird looked at the unconscious boy beneath her.

_Huh. And here I thought he was going to be a challenge. Easier for me, I suppose. Not much fun, though._

Scanning the building for signs of the dark knight, she pulled the wad of bills out of her glove. There was just one problem.

_Seriously, this guy doesn't have pockets? I'd put it in one of his little belt pouches, but I've heard rumors of them being booby-trapped. I could shove the money in his pants..._

She glanced at his hand.

_...Or his hand. That works, too._

After completing said task, she stood from straddling him and brushed herself off. The teen walked around the roof in search of an exit. Finding the building she had jumped from originally, she found herself back on lower buildings within a few minutes.

_I hope I didn't give the dude a concussion, that would suck. But his head felt about as thick as a watermelon, so I think I'm good. Don't need the dark creeper after me._

After stopping a few other petty crimes, she came upon her desired location. Climbing the firescape of an old brick apartment complex, Blackbird paused to pry open the fifth-story window.

_Home sweet home. Even if it smells like wet dog._

Climbing through the opening, she looked around her room. The crude red brick walls were covered in various rock band posters and graffiti she had painted on. Her desk was nothing more than a slab of wood over milk crates and a desk chair, her shelves being nothing _but_ milk crates. A small tv faced her daybed, which sported a quilt made of sewn together old t-shirts. Her personal favorite, however, was the rug sporting the design of the British flag.

All in all, her bedroom was mismatched, dingy, and what she considered to be heaven on Earth.

_Especially if it smells like wet dog._

Peeling off bits of her vigilante outfit, she made her way to the small bathroom connected to her own room. As the burning water from the shower poured down her shoulders, she thought about her night.

_You'd think someone would say something when you're sneaking out of the house to fight crime. Then again, most people are completely oblivious to anything outside their own bubble._

She lathered her hair with shampoo.

_And what was with the pissed off sidekick? My God, try to help someone and they bite you in the ass._

Finishing her shower, Blackbird dried off as she walked into her bedroom. She threw on a random t-shirt she found in her closet and plopped onto her bed.

_History homework is done. English is finished. Latin I did in school. Wait, I do all my homework at school. That's one definition of a nerd, if you need one._

Sitting up to look at the clock, she noticed that she was home earlier than usual. She called out at her closed door, "Mom, I'm going to bed now."

A muffled, "Night, sweetie." could be heard.

Lifting what she thought was a shoe, the teen threw the object at the light switch, successfully switching it off. Flinging the blankets over her head, she squirmed around until she was as comfortable as possible.

Twenty minutes later, and half asleep, Blackbird bolted up in bed.

_I forgot to do my math homework..._

* * *

I'm not the only one that throws things at light switches, am I? Oh, the room I described is my dream bedroom. Anyone can say they have a ps3 in their room, but how many get to say, "My room? Yeah, I sprayed it with graffiti 'cause it's kinda hard to paint brick, ya know?"

_Just between you and me, I thought about having Blackbird put the money in his pants. But his name's Dick, so wouldn't that mean she would find out his identity?_ ...I don't know, I'm a tard.

Reviews = Imaginary cookies (a.k.a. viruses)! Wait...


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